Peugeot sale is an ‘opportunity’, says Clark. An opportunity for pigs to fly | John Crace

Business secretary begs MPs to see Vauxhall sale in positive light as Labour’s Rebecca Long-Bailey asks if 40,000 jobs are guaranteed

Britain is open for business, insisted Greg Clark. The only fly in the ointment was that it was principally open for overseas companies flogging their UK assets to other overseas companies. But the business secretary is by nature an optimist and was determined to cast General Motors’ sale of Vauxhall to Peugeot in a positive light.

The devaluation of the pound against the dollar as a result of the Brexit vote was just a total coincidence and the US-firm General Motors had been absolutely delighted by the windfall losses on its UK assets; this was a deal that showed Britain was in rude health.